the mark of athena
by bluejay1234
Summary: I've just written this as a continuation of the son of neptune.For those of you who haven't finished the son of neptune spoiler alert as the first 4 chapters are the last 4 chapters of the son of neptune.Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or any of the other characters.

This is chapter 49 of The Son of Neptune.

Percy Pov:

FOUR HOURS.

That's how long it took the fastest horse on the planet to get from

Alaska to San Francisco Bay, heading straight over the water down the

Northwest Coast.

That's also how long it took for Percy's memory to return completely.

The process had started in Portland when he had drunk the gorgon's

blood, but his past life had still been maddeningly fuzzy. Now, as they

headed back into the Olympian gods' territory, Percy remembered

everything: the war with Kronos, his sixteenth birthday at Camp Half-Blood,

his trainer Chiron the centaur, his best friend Grover, his brother Tyson,

and most of all Annabeth—two great months of dating, and then BOOM.

He'd been abducted by the alien known as Hera. Or Juno…whatever.

Eight months of his life stolen. Next time Percy saw the Queen of

Olympus, he was definitely going to give her a goddess-sized slap upside

the head.

His friends and family must be going out of their minds. If Camp

Jupiter was in such bad trouble, he could only guess what Camp Half-

Blood must be facing without him.

Even worse: Saving both camps would be only the beginning.

According to Alcyoneus, the real war would happen far away, in the

homeland of the gods. The giants intended to attack the original Mount

Olympus and destroy the gods forever.

Percy knew that giants couldn't die unless demigods and gods fought

them together. Nico had told him that. Annabeth had mentioned it too, back

in August, when she'd speculated that the giants might be part of the new

Great Prophecy—what the Romans called the Prophecy of Seven. (That

was the downside of dating the smartest girl at camp: You learn stuff.)

He understood Juno's plan: Unite the Roman and Greek demigods to

create an elite team of heroes, then somehow convince the gods to fight

alongside them. But first, they had to save Camp Jupiter.

The coastline began to look familiar. They raced past the Mendocino

lighthouse. Shortly afterward, Mount Tam and the Marin headlands loomed

out of the fog. Arion shot straight under the Golden Gate Bridge into San

Francisco Bay.

They tore through Berkeley and into the Oakland Hills. When they

reached the hilltop above the Caldecott Tunnel, Arion shuddered like a

broken car and came to a stop, his chest heaving.

Hazel patted his sides lovingly. "You did great, Arion."

The horse was too tired even to cuss: Of course I did great. What did

you expect?

Percy and Frank jumped off the chariot. Percy wished there'd been

comfortable seats or an in-flight meal. His legs were wobbly. His joints

were so stiff, he could barely walk. If he went into battle like this, the enemy

would call him Old Man Jackson.

Frank didn't look much better. He hobbled to the top of the hill and

peered down at the camp. "Guys…you need to see this."

When Percy and Hazel joined him, Percy's heart sank. The battle had

begun, and it wasn't going well. The Twelfth Legion was arrayed on the

Field of Mars, trying to protect the city. Scorpions fired into the ranks of the

Earthborn. Hannibal the elephant plowed down monsters right and left, but

the defenders were badly outnumbered.

On her pegasus Scipio, Reyna flew around the giant Polybotes, trying

to keep him occupied. The Lares had formed shimmering purple lines

against a mob of black, vaporous shades in ancient armor. Veteran

demigods from the city had joined the battle, and were pushing their shield

wall against an onslaught of wild centaurs. Giant eagles circled the

battlefield, doing aerial combat with two snake-haired ladies in green

Bargain Mart vests—Stheno and Euryale.

The legion itself was taking the brunt of the attack, but their formation

was breaking. Each cohort was an island in a sea of enemies. The

Cyclopes' siege tower shot glowing green cannonballs into the city,

blasting craters in the forum, reducing houses to ruins. As Percy watched,

a cannonball hit the Senate House and the dome partially collapsed.

"We're too late," Hazel said.

"No," Percy said. "They're still fighting. We can do this."

"Where's Lupa?" Frank asked, desperation creeping into his voice.

"She and the wolves…they should be here."

Percy thought about his time with the wolf goddess. He'd come to

respect her teachings, but he'd also learned that wolves had limits. They

weren't front-line fighters. They only attacked when they had vastly superior

numbers, and usually under the cover of darkness. Besides, Lupa's first

rule was self-sufficiency. She would help her children as much as she

could, train them to fight—but in the end, they were either predator or prey.

Romans had to fight for themselves. They had to prove their worth or die.

That was Lupa's way.

"She did what she could," Percy said. "She slowed down the army on

its way south. Now it's up to us. We've got to get the gold eagle and these

weapons to the legion."

"But Arion is out of steam!" Hazel said. "We can't haul this stuff

ourselves."

"Maybe we don't have to." Percy scanned the hilltops. If Tyson had

gotten his dream message in Vancouver, help might be close.

He whistled as loud as he could—a good New York cab whistle that

would've been heard all the way from Times Square to Central Park.

Shadows rippled in the trees. A huge black shape bounded out of

nowhere—a mastiff the size of an SUV, with a Cyclops and a harpy on her

back.

"Hellhound!" Frank scrambled backward.

"It's okay!" Percy grinned. "These are friends."

"Brother!" Tyson climbed off and ran toward Percy. Percy tried to

brace himself, but it was no good. Tyson slammed into him and smothered

him in a hug. For a few seconds, Percy could only see black spots and lots of flannel. Then Tyson let go and laughed with delight, looking Percy over

with that massive baby brown eye.

"You are not dead!" he said. "I like it when you are not dead!"

Ella fluttered to the ground and began preening her feathers. "Ella

found a dog," she announced. "A large dog. And a Cyclops."

Was she blushing? Before Percy could decide, his black mastiff

pounced on him, knocking Percy to the ground and barking so loudly that

even Arion backed up.

"Hey, Mrs. O'Leary," Percy said. "Yeah, I love you too, girl. Good dog."

Hazel made a squeaking sound. "You have a hellhound named Mrs.

O'Leary?""Long story." Percy managed to get to his feet and wipe off the

dog slobber. "You can ask your brother…"

His voice wavered when he saw Hazel's expression. He'd almost

forgotten that Nico di Angelo was missing.

Hazel had told him what Thanatos had said about searching for the

Doors of Death in Rome, and Percy was anxious to find Nico for his own

reasons—to wring the kid's neck for having pretended he didn't know

Percy when he first came to camp. Still, he was Hazel's brother, and

finding him was a conversation for another time.

"Sorry," he said. "But yeah, this is my dog, Mrs. O'Leary. Tyson—these

are my friends, Frank and Hazel."

Percy turned to Ella, who was counting all the barbs in one of her

feathers.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "We were worried about you."

"Ella is not strong," she said. "Cyclopes are strong. Tyson found Ella.

Tyson took care of Ella."

Percy raised his eyebrows. Ella was blushing.

"Tyson," he said, "you big charmer, you."

Tyson turned the same color as Ella's plumage. "Um…No." He leaned

down and whispered nervously, loud enough for all the others to hear: "She

is pretty."

Frank tapped his head like he was afraid his brain had short-circuited.

"Anyway, there's this battle happening."

"Right," Percy agreed. "Tyson, where's Annabeth? Is any other help

coming?"

Tyson pouted. His big brown eye got misty. "The big ship is not ready.

Leo says tomorrow, maybe two days. Then they will come."

"We don't have two minutes," Percy said. "Okay, here's the plan."

As quickly as possible, he pointed out which were the good guys and

the bad guys on the battlefield. Tyson was alarmed to learn that bad

Cyclopes and bad centaurs were in the giant's army. "I have to hit ponymen?"

"Just scare them away," Percy promised.

"Um, Percy?" Frank looked at Tyson with trepidation. "I just…don't

want our friend here getting hurt. Is Tyson afighter?"

Percy smiled. "Is he a fighter? Frank, you're looking at General Tyson

of the Cyclops army. And by the way, Tyson, Frank is a descendant of

Poseidon."

"Brother!" Tyson crushed Frank in a hug.

Percy stifled a laugh. "Actually he's more like a great-great-…Oh,

never mind. Yeah, he's your brother."

"Thanks," Frank mumbled through a mouthful of flannel. "But if the

legion mistakes Tyson for an enemy—"

" I've got it!" Hazel ran to the chariot and dug out the biggest Roman

helmet she could find, plus an old Roman banner embroidered with SPQR.

She handed them to Tyson. "Put those on, big guy. Then our friends

will know you're on our team."

"Yay!" Tyson said. "I'm on your team!"

The helmet was ridiculously small, and he put the cape on backward,

like a SPQR baby bib.

"It'll do," Percy said. "Ella, just stay here. Stay safe."

"Safe," Ella repeated. "Ella likes being safe. Safety in numbers. Safety

deposit boxes. Ella will go with Tyson."

"What?" Percy said. "Oh…fine. Whatever. Just don't get hurt. And Mrs.

O'Leary—"

"ROOOF!"

"How do you feel about pulling a chariot?"

Please review the 5th chapter onwards as the first 4 chapters are from the book.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or any of the other characters.

This is chapter 50 of The Son of Neptune.

Percy Pov:

THEY WERE, WITHOUT A DOUBT, the strangest reinforcements in Roman military

history. Hazel rode Arion, who had recovered enough to carry one person

at normal horse speed, though he cursed about his aching hooves all the

way downhill.

Frank transformed into a bald eagle—which Percy still found totally

unfair—and soared above them. Tyson ran down the hill, waving his club

and yelling, "Bad pony-men! BOO!" while Ella fluttered around him, reciting

facts from the Old Farmer's Almanac.

As for Percy, he rode Mrs. O'Leary into battle with a chariot full of

Imperial gold equipment clanking and clink ing behind, the golden eagle

standard of the Twelfth Legion raised high above him.

They skirted the perimeter of the camp and took the northernmost

bridge over the Little Tiber, charging onto the Field of Mars at the western

edge of the battle. A horde of Cyclopes was hammering away at the

campers of the Fifth Cohort, who were trying to keep their shields locked

just to stay alive.

Seeing them in trouble, Percy felt a surge of protective rage. These

were the kids who'd taken him in. This was his family.

He shouted, "Fifth Cohort!" and slammed into the nearest Cyclops.

The last things the poor monster saw were Mrs. O'Leary's teeth.

After the Cyclops disintegrated—and stayed disintegrated, thanks to

Death—Percy leaped off his hellhound and slashed wildly through the other

monsters.

Tyson charged at the Cyclops leader, Ma Gasket, her chain-mail

dress spattered with mud and decorated with broken spears.

She gawked at Tyson and started to say, "Who—?"

Tyson hit her in the head so hard, she spun in a circle and landed on

her rump.

"Bad Cyclops Lady!" he bellowed. "General Tyson says GO AWAY!"

He hit her again, and Ma Gasket broke into dust.

Meanwhile Hazel charged around on Arion, slicing her spatha through

one Cyclops after another, while Frank blinded the enemies with his talons.

Once every Cyclops within fifty yards had been reduced to ashes,

Frank landed in front of his troops and transformed into a human. His

centurion's badge and Mural Crown gleamed on his winter jacket.

"Fifth Cohort!" he bellowed. "Get your Imperial gold weapons right

here!"

The campers recovered from their shock and mobbed the chariot.

Percy did his best to hand out equipment quickly.

"Let's go, let's go!" Dakota urged, grinning like a madman as he

swigged red Kool-Aid from his flask. "Our comrades need help!"

Soon the Fifth Cohort was equipped with new weapons and shields

and helmets. They weren't exactly consistent. In fact they looked like they'd

been shopping at a King Midas clearance sale. But they were suddenly the

most powerful cohort in the legion.

"Follow the eagle!" Frank ordered. "To battle!"

The campers cheered. As Percy and Mrs. O'Leary charged onward,

the entire cohort followed—forty extremely shiny gold-plated warriors

screaming for blood.

They slammed into a herd of wild centaurs that were attacking the

Third Cohort. When the campers of the Third saw the eagle standard, they

shouted insanely and fought with renewed effort.

The centaurs didn't stand a chance. The two cohorts crushed them like

a vise. Soon there was nothing left but piles of dust and assorted hooves

and horns. Percy hoped Chiron would forgive him, but these centaurs

weren't like the Party Ponies he'd met before. They were some other

breed. They had to be defeated.

"Form ranks!" the centurions shouted. The two cohorts came together,

their military training kicking in. Shields locked, they marched into battle

against the Earthborn.

Frank shouted, "Pila!"

A hundred spears bristled. When Frank yelled, "Fire!" they sailed

through the air—a wave of death cutting through the six-armed monsters.

The campers drew swords and advanced toward the center of the battle.

At the base of the aqueduct, the First and Second Cohorts were trying

to encircle Polybotes, but they were taking a pounding. The remaining

Earthborn threw barrage after barrage of stone and mud. Karpoi grain

spirits—those horrible little piranha Cupids—were rushing through the tall

grass abducting campers at random, pulling them away from the line. The

giant himself kept shaking basilisks out of his hair. Every time one landed,

the Romans panicked and ran. Judging from their corroded shields and

the smoking plumes on their helmets, they'd already learned about the

basilisks' poison and fire.

Reyna soared above the giant, diving in with her javelin whenever he

turned his attention to the ground troops. Her purple cloak snapped in the

wind. Her golden armor gleamed. Polybotes jabbed his trident and swung

his weighted net, but Scipio was almost as nimble as Arion.

Then Reyna noticed the Fifth Cohort marching to their aid with the

eagle. She was so stunned, the giant almost swatted her out of the air, but

Scipio dodged. Reyna locked eyes with Percy and gave him a huge smile.

"Romans!" Her voice boomed across the fields. "Rally to the eagle!"

Demigods and monsters alike turned and gawked as Percy bounded

forward on his hellhound.

"What is this?" Polybotes demanded. "What is this?"

Percy felt a rush of power coursing through the standard's staff. He

raised the eagle and shouted, "Twelfth Legion Fulminata!"

Thunder shook the valley. The eagle let loose a blinding flash, and a

thousand tendrils of lightning exploded from its golden wings—arcing in

front of Percy like the branches of an enormous deadly tree, connecting

with the nearest monsters, leaping from one to another, completely

ignoring the Roman forces.

When the lightning stopped, the First and Second

Cohorts were facing one surprised-looking giant and several hundred

smoking piles of ash. The enemy's center line had been charred to

oblivion.

The look on Octavian's face was priceless. The centurion stared at

Percy with shock, then outrage. Then, when his own troops started to

cheer, he had no choice except to join the shouting: "Rome! Rome!"

The giant Polybotes backed up uncertainly, but Percy knew the battle

wasn't over.

The Fourth Cohort was still surrounded by Cyclopes. Even Hannibal

the elephant was having a hard time wading through so many monsters.

His black Kevlar armor was ripped so that his label just said ant.

The veterans and Lares on the eastern flank were being pushed

toward the city. The monsters' siege tower was still hurling explosive green

fireballs into the streets. The gorgons had disabled the giant eagles and

now flew unchallenged over the giant's remaining centaurs and the

Earthborn, trying to rally them.

"Stand your ground!" Stheno yelled. "I've got free samples!"

Polybotes bellowed. A dozen fresh basilisks fell out of his hair, turning

the grass to poison yellow. "You think this changes anything, Percy

Jackson? I cannot be destroyed!Come forward, son of Neptune. I will

break you!"

Percy dismounted. He handed Dakota the standard. "You are the

cohort's senior centurion. Take care of this." Dakota blinked, then he

straightened with pride. He dropped his Kool-Aid flask and took the eagle.

"I will carry it with honor."

"Frank, Hazel, Tyson," Percy said, "help the Fourth Cohort. I've got a

giant to kill."

He raised Riptide, but before he could advance, horns blew in the

northern hills. Another army appeared on the ridge—hundreds of warriors

in black-and-gray camouflage, armed with spears and shields.

Interspersed among their ranks were a dozen battle forklifts, their

sharpened tines gleaming in the sunset and flaming bolts nocked in their

crossbows.

"Amazons," Frank said. "Great."

Polybotes laughed. "You, see? Our reinforcements have arrived!

Rome will fall today!"

The Amazons lowered their spears and charged down the hill. Their

forklifts barreled into battle. The giant's army cheered—until the Amazons

changed course and headed straight for the monsters' intact eastern flank.

"Amazons, forward!" On the largest forklift stood a girl who looked like

an older version of Reyna, in black combat armor with a glittering gold belt

around her waist.

"Queen Hylla!" said Hazel. "She survived!"

The Amazon queen shouted: "To my sister's aid! Destroy the

monsters!"

"Destroy!" Her troops' cry echoed through the valley.

Reyna wheeled her pegasus toward Percy. Her eyes gleamed. Her

expression said: I could hug you right now. She shouted, "Romans!

Advance!"

The battlefield descended into absolute chaos. Amazon and Roman

lines swung toward the enemy like the Doors of Death themselves.

But Percy had only one goal. He pointed at the giant.

"You. Me. To the finish."

They met by the aqueduct, which had somehow survived the battle so far.

Polybotes fixed that. He swiped his trident and smashed the nearest brick

arch, unleashing a waterfall.

"Go on, then, son of Neptune!" Polybotes taunted. "Let me see your

power! Does water do your bidding? Does it heal you? But I am born to

oppose Neptune."

The giant thrust his hand under the water. As the torrent passed

through his fingers it turned dark green. He flung some at Percy, who

instinctively deflected it with his will. The liquid splattered the ground in front

of him. With a nasty hiss, the grass withered and smoked.

"My touch turns water to poison," Polybotes said. "Let's see what it

does to your blood!"

He threw his net at Percy, but Percy rolled out of the way. He diverted

the waterfall straight into the giant's face. While Polybotes was blinded,

Percy charged. He plunged Riptide into the giant's belly then withdrew it

and vaulted away, leaving the giant roaring in pain.

The strike would have dissolved any lesser monster, but Polybotes just

staggered and looked down at the golden ichor —the blood of immortals

—spilling from his wound. The cut was already closing.

"Good try, demigod," he snarled. "But I will break you still."

"Gotta catch me first," Percy said.

He turned and bolted toward the city.

"What?" the giant yelled incredulously. "You run, coward? Stand still

and die!"

Percy had no intention of doing that. He knew he couldn't kill Polybotes

alone. But he did have a plan.

He passed Mrs. O'Leary, who looked up curiously with a gorgon

wriggling in her mouth.

"I'm fine!" Percy yelled as he ran by, followed by a giant screaming

bloody murder.

He jumped over a burning scorpion and ducked as Hannibal threw a

Cyclops across his path. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tyson

pounding the Earthborn into the ground like a game of whack-a-mole. Ella

was fluttering above him, dodging missiles and calling out advice: "The

groin. The Earthborn's groin is sensitive."

SMASH!

"Good. Yes. Tyson found its groin."

"Percy needs help?" Tyson called.

"I'm good!"

"Die!" Polybotes yelled, closing fast. Percy kept running.

In the distance, he saw Hazel and Arion galloping across the

battlefield, cutting down centaurs and karpoi. One grain spirit yelled,

"Wheat! I'll give you wheat!" but Arion stomped him into a pile of breakfast

cereal. Queen Hylla and Reyna joined forces, forklift and pegasus riding

together, scattering the dark shades of fallen warriors. Frank turned himself

into an elephant and stomped through some Cyclopes, and Dakota held

the golden eagle high, blasting lightning at any monsters that dared to

challenge the Fifth Cohort.

All that was great, but Percy needed a different kind of help. He

needed a god.

He glanced back and saw the giant almost within arm's reach. To buy

some time, Percy ducked behind one of the aqueduct's columns. The giant

swung his trident. When the column crumbled, Percy used the unleashed

water to guide the collapse—bringing down several tons of bricks on the

giant's head.

Percy bolted for the city limits.

"Terminus!" he yelled.

The nearest statue of the god was about sixty feet ahead. His stone

eyes snapped open as Percy ran toward him.

"Completely unacceptable!" he complained. "Buildings on fire!

Invaders! Get them out of here, Percy Jackson!"

"I'm trying," he said. "But there's this giant, Polybotes."

"Yes, I know! Wait—Excuse me a moment." Terminus closed his eyes

in concentration. A flaming green cannonball sailed overhead and

suddenly vaporized. "I can't stop all the missiles," Terminus complained.

"Why can't they be civilized and attack more slowly? I'm only one god."

"Help me kill the giant," Percy said, "and this will all be over. A god and

demigod working together—that's the only way to kill him."

Terminus sniffed. "I guard borders. I don't kill giants. It's not in my job

description."

"Terminus, come on!" Percy took another step forward, and the god

shrieked indignantly.

"Stop right there, young man! No weapons inside the Pomerian Line!"

"But we're under attack."

"I don't care! Rules are rules. When people don't follow the rules, I get

very, very angry."

Percy smiled. "Hold that thought."

He sprinted back toward the giant. "Hey, ugly!"

"Rarrr!" Polybotes burst from the ruins of the aqueduct. The water was

still pouring over him, turning to poison and creating a steaming marsh

around his feet.

"You…you will die slowly," the giant promised. He picked up his

trident, now dripping with green venom.

All around them, the battle was winding down. As the last monsters

were mopped up, Percy's friends started gathering, forming a ring around

the giant.

"I will take you prisoner, Percy Jackson," Polybotes snarled. "I will

torture you under the sea. Every day the water will heal you, and every day I

will bring you closer to death."

"Great offer," Percy said. "But I think I'll just kill you instead."

Polybotes bellowed in rage. He shook his head, and more basilisks

flew from his hair.

"Get back!" Frank warned.

Fresh chaos spread through the ranks. Hazel spurred Arion and put

herself between the basilisks and the campers. Frank changed form—

shrinking into something lean and furry…a weasel? Percy thought Frank

had lost his mind, but when Frank charged the basilisks, they absolutely

freaked out. They slithered away with Frank chasing after them in hot

weasely pursuit.

Polybotes pointed his trident and ran toward Percy. As the giant

reached the Pomerian Line, Percy jumped aside like a bullfighter.

Polybotes barreled across the city limits.

"THAT'S IT!" Terminus cried. "That's AGAINST THE RULES!"

Polybotes frowned, obviously confused that he was being told off by a

statue. "What are you?" he growled. "Shut up!"

He pushed the statue over and turned back to Percy.

"Now I'm MAD!" Terminus shrieked. "I'm strangling you. Feel that?

Those are my hands around your neck, you big bully. Get over here! I'm

going to head-butt you so hard—"

"Enough!" The giant stepped on the statue and broke Terminus in

three pieces—pedestal, body, and head.

"You DIDN'T!" shouted Terminus. "Percy Jackson, you've got yourself

a deal! Let's kill this upstart."

The giant laughed so hard that he didn't realize Percy was charging

until it was too late. Percy jumped up, vaulting off the giant's knee, and

drove Riptide straight through one of the metal mouths on Polybotes's

breastplate, sinking the Celestial bronze hilt-deep in his chest. The giant

stumbled backward, tripping over Terminus's pedestal and crashing to the

ground.

While he was trying to get up, clawing at the sword in his chest, Percy

hefted the head of the statue.

"You'll never win!" the giant groaned. "You cannot defeat me alone."

"I'm not alone." Percy raised the stone head above the giant's face.

"I'd like you to meet my friend Terminus. He's a god!"

Too late, awareness and fear dawned in the giant's face. Percy

smashed the god's head as hard as he could into the Polybotes's nose,

and the giant dissolved, crumbling into a steaming heap of seaweed,

reptile skin, and poisonous muck.

Percy staggered away, completely exhausted.

"Ha!" said the head of Terminus. "That will teach him to obey the rules

of Rome."

For a moment, the battlefield was silent except for a few fires burning,

and a few retreating monsters screaming in panic.

A ragged circle of Romans and Amazons stood around Percy. Tyson,

Ella, and Mrs. O'Leary were there. Frank and Hazel were grinning at him

with pride. Arion was nibbling contentedly on a golden shield.

The Romans began to chant, "Percy! Percy!"

They mobbed him. Before he knew it, they were raising him on a

shield. The cry changed to, "Praetor! Praetor!"

Among the chanters was Reyna herself, who held up her hand and

grasped Percy's in congratulation. Then the mob of cheering Romans

carried him around the Pomerian Line, carefully avoiding Terminus's

borders, and escorted him back home to Camp Jupiter.

Please review the 5th chapter onwards as the first 4 chapters are from the book.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or any of the other characters.

This is chapter 51 of The Son of Neptune.

Percy Pov:

THE FEAST OF FORTUNA HAD NOTHING to do with tuna, which was fine with

Percy.

Campers, Amazons and Lares crowded the mess hall for a lavish

dinner. Even the fauns were invited, since they'd helped out by bandaging

the wounded after the battle. Wind nymphs zipped around the room,

delivering orders of pizza, burgers, steaks, salads, Chinese food, and

burritos, all flying at terminal velocity.

Despite the exhausting battle, everyone was in good spirits.

Casualties had been light, and the few campers who'd previously died and

come back to life, like Gwen, hadn't been taken to the Underworld. Maybe

Thanatos had turned a blind eye. Or maybe Pluto had given those folks a

pass, like he had for Hazel. Whatever the case, nobody complained.

Colorful Amazon and Roman banners hung side-by-side from the

rafters. The restored golden eagle stood proudly behind the praetor's

table, and the walls were decorated with cornucopias—magical horns of

plenty that spilled out recycling waterfalls of fruit, chocolate, and freshbaked

cookies.

The cohorts mingled freely with the Amazons, jumping from couch to

couch as they pleased, and for once the soldiers of the Fifth were welcome

everywhere. Percy changed seats so many times, he lost track of his

dinner.

There was a lot of flirting and arm-wrestling—which seemed to be the

same thing for the Amazons. At one point Percy was cornered by Kinzie,

the Amazon who'd disarmed him in Seattle. He had to explain that he

already had a girlfriend. Fortunately Kinzie took it well. She told him what

had happened after they'd left Seattle—how Hylla had defeated her

challenger Otrera in two consecutive duels to the death, so that the

Amazons were now calling their queen Hylla Twice-Kill.

"Otrera stayed dead the second time," Kinzie said, batting her eyes.

"We have you to thank for that. If you ever need a new girlfriend…well, I

think you'd look great in an iron collar and an orange jumpsuit."

Percy couldn't tell if she was kidding or not. He politely thanked her

and changed seats.

Once everyone had eaten and the plates stopped flying, Reyna made

a short speech. She formally welcomed the Amazons, thanking them for

their help. Then she hugged her siste rand everybody applauded.

Reyna raised her hands for quiet. "My sister and I haven't always seen

eye to eye—"

Hylla laughed. "That's an understatement."

"She joined the Amazons," Reyna continued. "I joined Camp Jupiter.

But looking around this room, I think we both made good choices.

Strangely, our destinies were made possible by the hero you all just raised

to praetor on the battlefield—Percy Jackson."

More cheering. The sisters raised their glasses to Percy and

beckoned him forward.

Everybody asked for a speech, but Percy didn't know what to say. He

protested that he really wasn't the best person for praetor, but the campers

drowned him out with applause. Reyna took away his probatio neck plate.

Octavian shot him a dirty look, then turned to the crowd and smiled like this

was all his idea. He ripped open a teddy bear and pronounced good

omens for the coming year—Fortuna would bless them!He passed his

hand over Percy's arm and shouted: "Percy Jackson, son of Neptune, first

year of service!"

The Roman symbols burned onto Percy's arm: a trident, SPQR, and a

single stripe. It felt like someone was pressing a hot iron into his skin, but

Percy managed not to scream.

Octavian embraced him and whispered, "I hope it hurt."

Then Reyna gave him an eagle medal and purple cloak, symbols of

the praetor. "You earned these, Percy."

Queen Hylla pounded him on the back. "And I've decided not to kill

you."

"Um, thanks," Percy said.

He made his way around the mess hall one more time, because all the

campers wanted him at their table. Vitellius the Lar followed, stumbling

over his shimmering purple toga and readjusting his sword, telling

everyone how he'd predicted Percy's rise to greatness.

"I demanded he join the Fifth Cohort!" the ghost said proudly. "Spotted

his talent right away!"

Don the faun popped up in a nurse's hat, a stack of cookies in each

hand. "Man, congrats and stuff! Awesome! Hey, do you have any spare

change?"

All the attention embarrassed Percy, but he was happy to see how well

Hazel and Frank were being treated. Everyone called them the saviors of

Rome, and they deserved it. There was even talk about reinstating Frank's

great-grandfather, Shen Lun, to the legion's roll of honor. Apparently he

hadn't caused the 1906 earthquake after all.

Percy sat for a while with Tyson and Ella, who were honored guests at

Dakota's table. Tyson kept calling for peanut-butter sandwiches, eating

them as fast as the nymphs could deliver. Ella perched at his shoulder on

top of the couch and nibbled furiously on cinnamon rolls.

"Cinnamon rolls are good for harpies," she said. "June twenty-fourth is

a good day. Roy Disney's birthday, and Fortuna's Feast, and

Independence Day for Zanzibar. And Tyson."

She glanced at Tyson, then blushed and looked away.

After dinner, the entire legion got the night off. Percy and hisfriends drifted

down to the city, which wasn't quite recovered from the battle, but the fires

were out, most of the debris had been swept up, and the citizens were

determined to celebrate.

At the Pomerian Line, the statue of Terminus wore a paper party hat.

"Welcome, praetor!" he said. "You need any giants' faces smashed

while you're in town, just let me know.""Thanks, Terminus," Percy said. "I'll

keep that in mind."

"Yes, good. Your praetor's cape is an inch too low on the left. There—

that's better. Where is my assistant? Julia!"

The little girl ran out from behind the pedestal. She was wearing a

green dress tonight, and her hair was still in pigtails. When she smiled,

Percy saw that her front teeth were starting to come in. She held up a box

full of party hats.

Percy tried to decline, but Julia gave him the big adoring eyes.

"Ah, sure," he said. "I'll take the blue crown."

She offered Hazel a gold pirate hat. "I'm gonna be Percy Jackson

when I grow up," she told Hazel solemnly.

Hazel smiled and ruffled her hair. "That's a good thing to be, Julia."

"Although," Frank said, picking out a hat shaped like apolar bear's

head, "Frank Zhang would be good too."

"Frank!" Hazel said.

They put on their hats and continued to the forum, which was lit up with

multicolored lanterns. The fountains glowed purple. The coffee shops were

doing a brisk business, and street musicians filled the air with the sounds

of guitar, lyre, panpipes, and armpit noises. (Percy didn't get that last one.

Maybe it was an old Roman musical tradition.)

The goddess Iris must've been in a party mood too. As Percy and his

friends strolled past the damaged Senate House, a dazzling rainbow

appeared in the night sky. Unfortunately the goddess sent another

blessing, too—a gentle rain of gluten-free R.O.F.L. cupcake simulations,

which Percy figured would either make cleaning up harder, or rebuilding

easier. The cupcakes would make great bricks.

For a while, Percy wandered the streets with Hazel and Frank, who

kept brushing shoulders.

Finally he said, "I'm a little tired, guys. You go ahead."

Hazel and Frank protested, but Percy could tell they wanted some time

alone.

As he headed back to camp, he saw Mrs. O'Leary playing with

Hannibal in the Field of Mars. Finally, she'd found a playmate she could

roughhouse with. They frolicked around, slamming into each other,

breaking fortifications, and generally having an excellent time.

At the fort gates, Percy stopped and gazed across the valley. It

seemed like so long ago that he'd stood here with Hazel, getting his first

good view of camp. Now he was more interested in watching the eastern

horizon.

Tomorrow, maybe the next day, his friends from Camp

Half-Blood would arrive. As much as he cared about Camp Jupiter, he

couldn't wait to see Annabeth again. He yearned for his old life—New York

and Camp Half-Blood—but something told him it might be a while before

he returned home. Gaea and the giants weren't done causing trouble—not

by a long shot.

Reyna had given him the second praetor's house on the Via

Principalis, but as soon as Percy looked inside, he knew he couldn't stay

there. It was nice, but it was also full of Jason Grace's stuff. Percy already

felt uneasy taking Jason's title of praetor. He didn't want to take the guy's

house, too. Things would be awkward enough when Jason came back—

and Percy was sure that he would be on that dragon-headed warship.

Percy headed back to the Fifth Cohort barracks and climbed into his

bunk. He passed out instantly.

He dreamed he was carrying Juno across the Little Tiber.

She was disguised as a crazy old bag lady, smiling and singing an

Ancient Greek lullaby as her leathery hands gripped Percy's neck.

"Do you still want to slap me, dear?" she asked.

Percy stopped midstream. He let go and dumped the goddess in the

river.

The moment she hit the water, she vanished and reappeared on the

shore. "Oh, my," she cackled, "that wasn't very heroic, even in a dream!"

"Eight months," Percy said. "You stole eight months of my life for a

quest that took a week. Why?"

Juno tutted disapprovingly. "You mortals and your short lives. Eight

months is nothing, my dear. I lost eight centuries once, missed most of the

Byzantine Empire."

Percy summoned the power of the river. It swirled around him,

spinning into a froth of whitewater.

"Now, now," Juno said. "Don't get testy. If we are to defeat Gaea, our

plans must be timed perfectly. First, I needed Jason and his friends to free

me from my prison—"

"Your prison? You were in prison and they let you out?"

"Don't sound so surprised, dear! I'm a sweet old woman. At any rate,

you weren't needed at Camp Jupiter until now, to save the Romans at their

moment of greatest crisis. The eight months between…well, I do have

other plans brewing, my boy. Opposing Gaea, working behind Jupiter's

back, protecting your friends—it's a full-time job! If I had to guard you from

Gaea's monsters and schemes as well, and keep you hidden from your

friends back east all that time—no, much better you take a safe nap. You

would have been a distraction—a loose cannon."

"A distraction." Percy felt the water rising with his anger, spinning

faster around him. "A loose cannon."

"Exactly. I'm glad you understand."

Percy sent a wave crashing down on the old woman, but Juno simply

disappeared and materialized farther down the shore.

"My," she said, "you are in a bad mood. But you know I'm right. Your

timing here was perfect. They trust you now. You are a hero of Rome. And

while you slept, Jason Grace has learned to trust the Greeks. They've had

time to build the Argo II. Together, you and Jason will unite the camps."

"Why me?" Percy demanded. "You and I never got along. Why would

you want a loose cannon on your team?"

"Because I know you, Percy Jackson. In many ways, you are impulsive,

but when it comes to your friends, you are as constant as a compass

needle. You are unswervingly loyal, and you inspire loyalty. You are the glue

that will unite the seven."

"Great," Percy said. "I always wanted to be glue."

Juno laced her crooked fingers. "The Heroes of Olympus must unite!

After your victory over Kronos in Manhattan…well, I fear that wounded

Jupiter's self-esteem."

"Because I was right," Percy said. "And he was wrong."

The old lady shrugged. "He should be used to that, after so many eons

married to me, but alas! My proud and obstinate husband refuses to ask

mere demigods for help again. He believes the giants can be fought

without you, and Gaea can be forced back to her slumbers. I know better.

But you must prove yourself. Only by sailing to the ancient lands and

closing the Doors of Death will you convince Jupiter that you are worthy of

fighting side-by-side with the gods. It will be the greatest quest since

Aeneas sailed from Troy!"

"And if we fail?" Percy said. "If Romans and Greeks don't get along?"

"Then Gaea has already won. I'll tell you this, Percy Jackson. The one

who will cause you the most trouble is the one closest to you—the one who

hates me most."

"Annabeth?" Percy felt his anger rising again. "You never liked her.

Now you're calling her a troublemaker? You don't know her at all. She's the

person I most want watching my back."

The goddess smiled dryly. "We will see, young hero. She has a hard

task ahead of her when you arrive in Rome. Whether she is up to it…I do

not know."

Percy summoned a fist of water and smashed it down at the old lady.

When the wave receded, she was gone.

The river swirled out of Percy's control. He sank into the darkness of the whirlpool. *************

Please review the 5th chapter onwards as the first 4 chapters are from the book.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or any of the other characters.

This is chapter 52 of The Son of Neptune.

Percy Pov:

THE NEXT MORNING, PERCY, HAZEL, AND FRANK ate break fast early, then

headed into the city before the senate was due to convene. As Percy was

a praetor now, he could go pretty much wherever he wanted, whenever he

wanted.

On the way, they passed the stables, where Tyson and Mrs. O'Leary

were sleeping in. Tyson snored on a bed of hay next to the unicorns, a

blissful look on his face like he was dreaming of ponies. Mrs. O'Leary had

rolled on her back and covered her ears with her paws. On the stable roof,

Ella roosted in a pile of old Roman scrolls, her head tucked under her

wings.

When they got to the forum, they sat by the fountains and watched the

sun come up. The citizens were already busy sweeping up cupcake

simulations, confetti, and party hats from last night's celebration. The

engineer corps was working on a new arch that would commemorate the

victory over Polybotes.

Hazel said she'd even heard talk of a formal triumph for the three of

them—a parade around the city followed by a week of games and

celebrations—but Percy knew they'd never get the chance. They didn't

have time.

Percy told them about his dream of Juno.

Hazel frowned. "The gods were busy last night. Show him, Frank."

Frank reached into his coat pocket. Percy thought he might bring out

his piece of firewood, but instead he produced a thin paperback book and

a note on red stationery.

"These were on my pillow this morning." He passed them to Percy.

"Like the Tooth Fairy visited."

The book was The Art of War by Sun Tzu. Percy had never heard of it,

but he could guess who sent it. The letter read: Good job, kid. A real man's

best weapon is his mind. This was your mom's favorite book. Give it a

read. P.S.—I hope your friend Percy has learned some respect for me.

"Wow." Percy handed back the book. "Maybe Mars is different than

Ares. I don't think Ares can read."

Frank flipped through the pages. "There's a lot in hereabout sacrifice,

knowing the cost of war. Back in Vancouver, Mars told me I'd have to put

my duty ahead of my life or the entire war would go sideways. I thought he

meant freeing Thanatos, but now…I don't know. I'm still alive, so maybe the

worst is yet to come."

He glanced nervously at Percy, and Percy got the feeling Frank wasn't

telling him everything. He wondered if Mars had said something about him,

but Percy wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Besides, Frank had already given enough. He had watched his family

home burn down. He'd lost his mother and his grandmother.

"You risked your life," Percy said. "You were willing to burn up to save

the quest. Mars can't expect more than that."

"Maybe," Frank said doubtfully.

Hazel squeezed Frank's hand.

They seemed more comfortable around each other this morning, not

quite as nervous and awkward. Percy wondered if they'd started dating.

He hoped so, but he decided it was better not to ask.

"Hazel, how about you?" Percy asked. "Any word from Pluto?"

She looked down. Several diamonds popped out of the ground at her

feet. "No," she admitted. "In a way, I think he sent a message through

Thanatos. My name wasn't on that list of escaped souls. It should have

been."

"You think your dad is giving you a pass?" Percy asked.

Hazel shrugged. "Pluto can't visit me or even talk to me without

acknowledging I'm alive. Then he'd have to enforce the laws of death and

have Thanatos bring me back to the Underworld. I think my dad is turning a

blind eye. I think—I think he wants me to find Nico."

Percy glanced at the sunrise, hoping to see a warship descending

from the sky. So far, nothing.

"We'll find your brother," Percy promised. "As soon as the ship gets

here, we'll sail for Rome."

Hazel and Frank exchanged uneasy looks, like they'd already talked

about this.

"Percy…" Frank said. "If you want us to come along, we're in. But are

you sure? I mean…we know you've got tons of friends at the other camp.

And you could pick anyone at Camp Jupiter now. If we're not part of the

seven, we'd understand—"

"Are you kidding?" Percy said. "You think I'd leave my team behind?

After surviving Fleecy's wheat germ, running from cannibals, and hiding

under blue giant butts in Alaska? Come on!"

The tension broke. All three of them started cracking up, maybe a little

too much, but it was a relief to be alive, with the warm sun shining, and not

worrying—at least for the moment—about sinister faces appearing in the

shadows of the hills.

Hazel took a deep breath. "The prophecy Ella gave us—about the

child of wisdom, and the mark of Athena burning through Rome…do you

know what that's about?"

Percy remembered his dream. Juno had warned that Annabeth had a

difficult job ahead of her, and that she'd cause trouble for the quest. He

couldn't believe that, but still…it worried him.

"I'm not sure," he admitted. "I think there's more to the prophecy.

Maybe Ella can remember the rest of it."

Frank slipped his book into his pocket. "We need to take her with us—

I mean, for her own safety. If Octavian finds out Ella has the Sibylline Books

memorized…"

Percy shuddered. Octavian used prophecies to keep his power at

camp. Now that Percy had taken away his chance at praetor, Octavian

would be looking for other ways to exert influence. If he got hold of Ella…

"You're right," Percy said. "We've got to protect her. I just hope we can

convince her—"

"Percy!" Tyson came running across the forum, Ella fluttering behind

him with a scroll in her talons. When they reached the fountain, Ella

dropped the scroll in Percy's lap.

"Special delivery," she said. "From an aura. A wind spirit.

Yes, Ella got a special delivery."

"Good morning, brothers!" Tyson had hay in his hair and peanut butter

in his teeth. "The scroll is from Leo. He is funny and small."

The scroll looked unremarkable, but when Percy spread it across his

lap, a video recording flickered on the parchment. A kid in Greek armor

grinned up at them. He had an impish face, curly black hair, and wild eyes,

like he'd just had several cups of coffee. He was sitting in a dark room with

timber walls like a ship's cabin. Oil lamps swung back and forth on the

ceiling.

Hazel stifled a scream.

"What?" Frank asked. "What's wrong?"

Slowly, Percy realized the curly-haired kid looked familiar—and not

just from his dreams. He'd seen that face in an old photo.

"Hey!" said the guy in the video. "Greetings from your friends at Camp

Half-Blood, et cetera. This is Leo. I'm the…" He looked off screen and

yelled: "What's my title? Am I like admiral, or captain, or—"

A girl's voice yelled back, "Repair boy."

"Very funny, Piper," Leo grumbled. He turned back to the parchment

screen. "So yeah, I'm ... ah ... supreme commander of the Argo II. Yeah, I

like that! Anyway, we're gonna be sailing toward you in about, I dunno, an

hour in this big mother warship. We'd appreciate it if you'd not, like, blow

us out of the sky or anything. So okay! If you could tell the Romans that.

See you soon. Yours in demigodishness, and all that. Peace out."

The parchment turned blank.

"It can't be," Hazel said.

"What?" Frank asked. "You know that guy?"

Hazel looked like she'd seen a ghost. Percy understood why. He

remembered the photo in Hazel's abandoned house in Seward. The kid on

the warship looked exactly like Hazel's old boyfriend.

"It's Sammy Valdez," she said. "But how…how—"

"It can't be," Percy said. "That guy's name is Leo. And it's been

seventy-something years. It has to be a…"

He wanted to say a coincidence, but he couldn't make himself believe

that. Over the past few years he'd seen a lot of things: destiny, prophecy,

magic, monsters, fate. But he'd never yet run across a coincidence.

They were interrupted by horns blowing in the distance. The senators

came marching into the forum with Reyna at the lead.

"It's meeting time," Percy said. "Come on. We've got to warn them

about the warship."

"Why should we trust these Greeks?" Octavian was saying.

He'd been pacing the senate floor for five minutes, going on and on,

trying to counter what Percy had told them about Juno's plan and the

Prophecy of Seven.

The senate shifted restlessly, but most of them were too afraid to

interrupt Octavian while he was on a roll. Meanwhile the sun climbed in the

sky, shining through the broken senate roof and giving Octavian a natural

spotlight.

The Senate House was packed. Queen Hylla, Frank, and Hazel sat in

the front row with the senators. Veterans and ghosts filled the back rows.

Even Tyson and Ella had been allowed to sit in the back. Tyson kept

waving and grinning at Percy.

Percy and Reyna occupied matching praetors' chairs on the dais,

which made Percy self-conscious. It wasn't easy looking dignified wearing

a bed sheet and a purple cape.

"The camp is safe," Octavian continued. "I'll be the first to congratulate

our heroes for bringing back the legion's eagle and so much Imperial gold!

Truly we have been blessed with good fortune. But why do more? Why

tempt fate?"

"I'm glad you asked." Percy stood, taking the question as an opening.

Octavian stammered, "I wasn't—"

"—part of the quest," Percy said. "Yes, I know. And you're wise to let

me explain, since I was."

Some of the senators snickered. Octavian had no choice but to sit

down and try not to look embarrassed.

"Gaea is waking," Percy said. "We've defeated two of her giants, but

that's only the beginning. The real war will take place in the old land of the

gods. The quest will take us to Rome, and eventually to Greece."

An uneasy ripple spread through the senate.

"I know, I know," Percy said. "You've always thought of the Greeks as

your enemies. And there's a good reason for that. I think the gods have

kept our two camps apart because whenever we meet, we fight. But that

can change. It has to change if we're to defeat Gaea. That's what the

Prophecy of Seven means. Seven demigods, Greek and Roman, will have

to close the Doors of Death together."

"Ha!" shouted a Lar from the back row. "The last time a praetor tried to

interpret the Prophecy of Seven, it was Michael Varus, who lost our eagle

in Alaska! Why should we believe you now?"

Octavian smiled smugly. Some of his allies in the senate began

nodding and grumbling. Even some of the veterans looked uncertain.

"I carried Juno across the Tiber," Percy reminded them, speaking as

firmly as he could. "She told me that the Prophecy of Seven is coming to

pass. Mars also appeared to you in person. Do you think two of your most

important gods would appear at camp if the situation wasn't serious?"

"He's right," Gwen said from the second row. "I, for one, trust Percy's

word. Greek or not, he restored the honor of the legion. You saw him on the

battlefield last night. Would anyone here say he is not a true hero of

Rome?"

Nobody argued. A few nodded in agreement.

Reyna stood. Percy watched her anxiously. Her opinion could change

everything—for better or worse.

"You claim this is a combined quest," she said. "You claim Juno

intends for us to work with this—this other group, Camp

Half-Blood. Yet the Greeks have been our enemies for eons.

They are known for their deceptions."

"Maybe so," Percy said. "But enemies can become friends. A week

ago, would you have thought Romans and Amazons would be fighting side

by side?"

Queen Hylla laughed. "He's got a point."

"The demigods of Camp Half-Blood have already been working with

Camp Jupiter," Percy said. "We just didn't realize it. During the Titan War

last summer, while you were attacking Mount Othrys, we were defending

Mount Olympus in Manhattan. I fought Kronos myself."

Reyna backed up, almost tripping over her toga. "You… what?"

"I know it's hard to believe," Percy said. "But I think I've earned your

trust. I'm on your side. Hazel and Frank—I'm sure they're meant to go with

me on this quest. The other four are on their way from Camp Half-Blood

right now. One of them is Jason Grace, your old praetor."

"Oh, come on!" Octavian shouted. "He's making things up, now."

Reyna frowned. "It is a lot to believe. Jason is coming back with a

bunch of Greek demigods? You say they're going to appear in the sky in a

heavily armed warship, but we shouldn't be worried."

"Yes." Percy looked over the rows of nervous, doubtful spectators.

"Just let them land. Hear them out. Jason will backup everything I'm telling

you. I swear it on my life."

"On your life?" Octavian looked meaningfully at the senate. "We will

remember that, if this turns out to be a trick."

Right on cue, a messenger rushed into the Senate House, gasping as

if he'd run all the way from camp. "Praetors! I'm sorry to interrupt, but our

scouts report—"

"Ship!" Tyson said happily, pointing at the hole in the ceiling. "Yay!

Sure enough, a Greek warship appeared out of the clouds, about a

half a mile away, descending toward the Senate House. As it got closer,

Percy could see bronze shields glinting along the sides, billowing sails,

and a familiar-looking figurehead shaped like a metal dragon. On the

tallest mast, a big white flag of truce snapped in the wind.

The Argo II. It was the most incredible ship he'd ever seen.

"Praetors!" the messenger cried. "What are your orders?"

Octavian shot to his feet. "You need to ask?" His face was red with

rage. He was strangling his teddy bear. "The omens are horrible! This is a

trick, a deception. Beware Greeks bearing gifts!"

He jabbed a finger at Percy. "His friends are attacking in a warship.

He has led them here. We must attack!"

"No," Percy said firmly. "You all raised me as praetor for a reason. I will

fight to defend this camp with my life. But these aren't enemies. I say we

stand ready, but do not attack. Let them land. Let them speak. If it is a trick,

then I will fight with you, as I did last night. But it is not a trick."

All eyes turned toward Reyna.

She studied the approaching warship. Her expression hardened. If

she vetoed Percy's orders…well, he didn't know what would happen.

Chaos and confusion, at the very least.

Most likely, the Romans would follow her lead. She'd been their leader

much longer than Percy.

"Hold your fire," Reyna said. "But have the legion stand ready. Percy

Jackson is your duly chosen praetor. We will trus this word—unless we are

given clear reason not to. Senators, let us adjourn to the forum and meet

our…new friends."

The senators stampeded out of the auditorium—whether from

excitement or panic, Percy wasn't sure. Tyson ran after them, yelling, "Yay!

Yay!" with Ella fluttering around his head.

Octavian gave Percy a disgusted look, then threw down his teddy bear

and followed the crowd.

Reyna stood at Percy's shoulder.

"I support you, Percy," she said. "I trust your judgment. But for all our

sakes, I hope we can keep the peace between our campers and your

Greek friends."

"We will," he promised. "You'll see."

She glanced up at the warship. Her expression turned a little wistful.

"You say Jason is aboard…I hope that's true.

I've missed him."

She marched outside, leaving Percy alone with Hazel and Frank.

"They're coming down right in the forum," Frank said nervously.

"Terminus is going to have a heart attack."

"Percy," Hazel said, "you swore on your life. Romans take that

seriously. If anything goes wrong, even by accident, Octavian is going to kill

you. You know that, right?"

Percy smiled. He knew the stakes were high. He knew this day could

go horribly wrong. But he also knew that Annabeth was on that ship. If

things went right, this would be the best day of his life.

He threw one arm around Hazel and one arm around Frank.

"Come on," he said. "Let me introduce you to my other family."

Please review the 5th chapter onwards as the first 4 chapters are from the book.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or any of the other characters.

This is the 1st chapter of The Mark of Athena.

General POV:

Percy followed the senators and Reyna to the forum. They halted about twenty feet away from the Argo II, forming a circle around it. The huge golden ship landed in the middle of their circle and there was silence for a long moment. Percy made his way over to Reyna's side and noticed Octavian and Queen Hylla standing on her other side. All the Romans were tense as they didn't know how to react to the truce with their enemies the Greeks. Percy pulled out Riptide just to assure them that he was on their side. They calmed down noticeably after that. He was their praetor after all. Frank and Hazel came and stood next to Percy. A gangplank touched the ground from the deck but no one came out.

Then a black Pegasus landed right in front of Percy.

'Boss!' Blackjack said nearly clobbering him.

"Chill out, Blackjack! Yeah, I know. I've missed you too. I'll buy you donuts later, okay?"

Everyone looked at him like he was crazy.

"What? Poseidon … I mean Neptune is also the god of horses."

"You have a Pegasus?" Reyna asked.

"Yeah. Everyone meet Blackjack."

'Yo' Blackjack said.

"Yo! Supreme Commander of the Argo II, Leo Valdez here. Move it Blackjack." A short guy with curly black hair said.

Blackjack flew away probably to make friends with Scipio.

"I'd rather call you 'Repair Boy', Leo" a girl with chocolate brown hair said stepping off the gangplank.

"Stop calling me that, Piper." Leo said.

"I don't know how I stand you two" a guy with blonde hair and sky blue eyes said.

Everyone gasped when he appeared.

'Jason' Percy thought and turned Riptide back into a pen.

He had a scar on his upper lip but what struck him the most was when a girl with spiky hair and same blue eyes stepped off the plank and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't tease them so much, brother. Hello Percy" Thalia addressed him.

Percy broke out into a huge grin and covered the distance between them and hugged her.

"Thalia" he said, "Its been a long time"

The tension broke immediately and everyone started cheering that Jason was back. They maintained the circle when Reyna raised her hand. She was staring at Jason but Jason was staring at Thalia and Percy. Percy broke away and then looked at Jason.

He held out his hand and said "Perseus Jackson. Welcome back, brother".

Jason grinned and shook his hand," Jason Grace. Nice to finally meet you brother", he returned the acknowledgement.

Percy lifted his head to look beyond Jason and there she was with her blonde hair and gray eyes, Annabeth. She was dressed for battle. Jason moved out of the way and then Annabeth rushed forward and before Percy could react had her knife pointed at his neck. Everyone raised their weapons and prepared to charge but Percy held his hand up and said "Stand back."

"Hmmm. You seem to have a lot of support here."

"Yeah, well…" he whipped his sword out and jumped back before she could react.

"Always my better. Why are you wearing a bed sheet and a cape, Seaweed Brain?" she asked sheathing her knife and Percy capped Riptide as well.

Percy grinned and said, "It's a toga. Don't call me that, Annabeth. I have a reputation here you know. I am a praetor and…"

She rushed at him and hugged him and started sobbing.

"Eight months… you were missing for eight months. I looked everywhere but I couldn't find you…"

"Shhh, Annie, its okay. I'm fine."

Frank and Hazel smiled at the scene and then at eachother. Reyna and Hylla were also smiling. Percy broke apart from Annabeth and turned around and walked up to Reyna. He turned to face them again.

"Welcome to Camp Jupiter, everyone especially our lost praetor Jason Grace, of the 5th cohort."

Reyna spoke over the roar of the campers, "Everyone to the Senate house. We have much to discuss and very less time."

"We need to head to Rome to fight the giants and Gaea." Percy said.

Everyone cheered and started moving towards the Senate house.

Percy followed with his friends, both new and old.

Please review.

A/N I'll try to post the 6th chapter as soon as possible. I also need a beta. Can someone help me out? I am just as eager to write this story as you are to read it. Till next time readers.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or any of the other characters.

General POV:

The Senate House was completely full. Percy and Reyna stood in the centre of the House with the new arrivals from Camp Half-Blood standing behind them. Octavian stood near Percy.

Percy then spoke "Senators and leaders of the cohorts, I know that you all are not in favour of fighting alongside the Greeks. But, I swore on my life that my friends wouldn't attack you and haven't I kept my word? The Greeks are here to be our temporary allies in defeating the giant armies and Gaea."

"But we don't require their help! We the Romans proved our worth by defeating the Greeks during the ancient times itself. We don't need the help of such weaklings." Octavian spoke up.

Percy saw Annabeth clench her fist at that comment.

He spoke before she could go over to Octavian and punch him.

"I am sure that the first cohort's defeat at the hands of the fifth cohort speaks for itself." he said with a smirk.

A few of the people present laughed at that, including Gwen.

"And who was responsible for blowing up the cannons in your faces and defeating your lines?" he asked Octavian.

"You were." Octavian said grudgingly.

Annabeth smiled behind Percy. She couldn't help but admire him. She hadn't heard his voice in eight months. He was an inch taller and his green eyes were shining with humour.

Percy smiled and then said, "Now that that's over, does anyone else object?"

No one spoke. Reyna spoke, "Since there are no more objections, let us have Percy introduce his friends from Camp Half- Blood."

"Okay. This is Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena the goddess of wisdom and war, the architect of Mount Olympus since she was trained under Daedalus himself. She is also the deputy head of Camp Half-Blood.", Percy said introducing Annabeth.

"This is Leo and Piper. I don't know much about them as they arrived after I disappeared from Camp Half-Blood. Jason Grace, you all already know and this is Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus the king of gods, the leader of the hunters of Artemis and Jason's older sister."

There were gasps at that statement and shouts of denial before Jason being compelled to speak said, "It's true. The king of gods visited my mother twice. The first time in his Greek form, Zeus and the second time in his Roman form, Jupiter. My sister is Greek and I am Roman. The Greeks haven't attacked us because of their faith in me as well as their faith in their lost leader Percy and I think you haven't attacked us due to the same reason."

Reyna stood up from her chair with Aurum and Argentum following her. She walked to the centre and said,

"Senators, who do you think should go on this quest to the east?"

"Percy"

"Reyna"

"Hazel"

"Frank"

"Queen Hylla of the Amazons"

"Thank you for your opinion and I think you chose the best among our ranks. Percy, Hazel and Frank completed a mission deemed impossible by all of us. They visited Queen Hylla along the way and asked for her help in defeating the army of the giant Polybotes on the day of the Feast of Fortuna. They also successfully completed their mission and defeated the giant Alcyoneus and reinforced our legion with our golden eagle and weapons. Queen Hylla saved us by fighting alongside us in the battle."

Jason stiffened next to Thalia at the mention of the word 'golden eagle'. He was staring at Percy with a look of…of respect?

"What is it?" Thalia asked him.

"He brought back the lost golden eagle." Jason said in an awed tone.

"So?"

"That eagle was lost in 'the land beyond the gods' or Alaska. It was being guarded by Alcyoneus, the giant son of Gaea, who cannot be defeated in his home territory." He explained.

"Oh."

"Damn! He got one over us." Annabeth growled.

"What do you mean?" Leo asked.

"He defeated two giants while we only defeated one. Clarisse isn't going to let us go easily after this." Piper groaned.

"Don't be melodramatic" Thalia said.

"Alright, Senate meeting adjourned. The quest will begin at dawn tomorrow morning." Reyna said.

Percy and Reyna walked out. Everyone filed out until only those going on the quest were left standing there. Percy and Reyna returned wearing purple Camp Jupiter t-shirts and jeans.

They gathered together and sat down in the seats previously occupied by the senators. They looked more like a bunch of teenagers going to the movies than the most powerful demigods of their age gathered together to go on a quest to save the world.

"So are you going to show us around, Kelp Head?" Thalia asked.

"Stop the nicknames already, Pinecone Face!"

Jason sniggered at that. "Pinecone Face?" he said smirking naughtily at Thalia.

"Don't you dare Jason"

"Yeah, yeah, Pinecone Face"

"Shut up already! Little brothers are so annoying."

"I thought you liked Jason, Thalia. After all you lost him when he was two." Annabeth said smirking.

"Whatever" Thalia said with her nose up in the air.

"Can we go see the camp now?" Leo asked in a bored voice.

"Sure let's go." Reyna said," We need to show you your bunks and the rest of camp."

"By the way, whose son and daughter are you guys?" Percy asked Leo and Piper.

"I'm Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite and Tristan McLean. I am the leader of the Aphrodite cabin at camp and I can charmspeak."

"Wait, the Tristan Mclean as in the movie star?" Reyna asked.

"Yeah"

"Aphrodite, huh? Goddess of love. Hey Annabeth, remember 'The Thrill Ride of Love?" Percy asked.

"Yeah, we had to go through that horrible ride just to get Aphrodite's scarf back. And what's more, Hephaestus had cameras set up, telecasting us live to Olympus." Annabeth told everyone.

"What about you?" Reyna asked Leo still grinning after Annabeth's story.

"I'm Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus. I'm the leader of the Hephaestus cabin at camp and I can control fire."

Hazel was staring at Leo with wide eyes. "Valdez" she said.

Percy put a hand on Hazel's shoulder and whispered in her ear, "Its okay Hazel. It's not him. Probably a coincidence" She relaxed still staring at Leo though.

"Fire? How?" Reyna asked.

"Like this" Leo said and his fingertips caught on fire.

Frank who was standing right next to Leo scampered back with a panicked look.

"S… Sure you can control it?" he stuttered.

"Yeah, pretty much" Leo said looking at him strangely.

"Uh… he's afraid of fire. Hephaestus. I actually like your dad. His automatons are hard to follow but darn helpful. He is probably the only god who can control his temper well. "

"Huh, how can you say that?" Jason asked.

"Because, he didn't vaporize Percy for jumping on his throne during Kronos' invasion. He is the only level headed god as far as I know." Annabeth said.

"Whose son and daughter are you guys?" Jason asked Frank and Hazel.

"I'm the daughter of Pluto, the god of death and all the wealth that lies under the earth."

"I thought Nico was the only son of Hades after Bianca died." Thalia said.

"Well, he was until he found me in the Fields of Asphodel. I still had my memory so he brought me back to life. I was actually born in the 1940's. I…I knew someone who looked exactly like you." she told Leo," His name was Sammy Valdez."

"My grandpa? Mother said he died very young."

"Oh."

"1940s?" Reyna asked. "Why wasn't I told of this?" she asked glaring at Percy.

"Well…it was Hazel's tale to tell and…"

"Anything else you've been hiding from me?" she asked tapping her foot.

"Well…I did forget to tell you that my life depends on a piece of wood and that if it burns out I will die…" Frank said.

"What?"

"Here." Hazel said holding out a piece of wood the size of a chocolate bar, charred at one end.

"This piece of wood is your life?" Reyna asked.

"Yeah." Frank said.

"Percy Jackson." she said in a soft menacing voice.

"Gotta go, guys" he said already backing up before he turned around and sprinted for his life.

PLEASE REVIEW!

A/N : I'll try to update soon. I do want to finish the story before the release of the book in 2012. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'll update soon! BFN:)


End file.
